Improvement in corn-shellers



.|. CAULDWELL.

Gern Sheller.l

Patented Dec. 1, 1868.

fweizZa/f W/Zzwff 'raras rrn JAMES A. CAULDELL, 0F HOBSEHEADS, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-SHELLERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 811,610, dated Decemberl, 1868. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. CAULnwELL, of Horseheads, in the county ofGliemung, and in the State of New York, have invented a newCorn-Sheller; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section and aplan ofthe corn-Sheller.

A A are the side frames of the machine, with feet for the whole machineto stand on, and which are kept in position by brace-rods a a a a. Theseside frames carry the journals of a shaft, B B, on which is fastened,between the frames, a drum, F F, the surface of which is convex andarmed with rows of pointed teeth j' f, which stand vertical on thesurface of the drum.

On one side of the machine is a fly-wheel, C. On the other side is acrank, l), with handle E, fastened to the shaft B, to set the drum F inrotary motion. Vertical over the drum F is a hopper, H, formed on Y theends by the side frames A A and on the sides by sheetiron fastened tothe frames, and shaped at the lower ends to connect with anothercylindrical shell made in sections, which is placed somewhat eccentricaround the drum F.

The inside surface of the sectional pieces K1 K2 K10 is concave, and isalso armed with pointed teeth f f in rows vertical on the inner surface,and the spaces between the teeth are perforated with holes c c c, largeenough to let through the largest-sized corn.

The pieces K1 K2 are fastened on each end to an inward-projecting flangeof the side frames A A by bolts il t2 e110, leaving space enough betweenthe put-springs s s, between the pieces K1 KZ and the flange, to keepthose segments as close as possible to the inner drum, F, but allow eachsingle segment to move outside when the pressure from inside growsstronger than the springs are pressing from outside. These segmentsoverlap each other, and are placed around the drum F in such a way thatthe space between the drum F and the first segment, K1, is larger thanthe space between F and the last segment, K10.

Above the segment Kl is an opening left in the shell for its wholewidth, which opening can be closed by a hinged door, h3, opening easilyoutward, and a cross-piece, h2, closes toward the front of the machine,on which sieve drops all the corn through the holes in the pieces K1 K2Kw. This sieve is put in a shaking motionv during `the working of themachine by means of a pulley, N, with ragged edge, fastened to the hubof the fly-wheel, and by a lever, O M, and rod L, which take hold of theplate T covering the front end of the sieve T.

Above the sieve, and a little in front of the outside cylinder, isplaced a fan with wings P, which is put in rotary motion by a pair ofpulleys, the one, F2, placed on the shaft B, the other one, P1, placedon the overhanging end of the shaft of the fan, both connected by abelt. This fan has to blow back all the shells or chaff of the cornfalling with the corn through the holes c c, so that only the clear cornwill roll from the sieve in front of it.

At the upper end of the sieve are placed a few iron rods, across theopening left between the outside cylinder and the sieve, to prevent thecobs from falling on the sieve when they' are pushed out the door h3 bythe motion of the drum F.

The operation of the machine is as follows The inside cylinder, F, isset in rotary motion by the crank or by a pulley when movingA power isat hand, and the ears of corn are thrown horizontally in the hopper,where they are caught by the teeth of the drum F and rolled around inthe space between the drum F and the sectional shell, bending, at thesame time, the cobs over the convex surface of the drum, loosening inthis way the corn in its seat. While the teeth on both sides break thecorn from the cob the corn is falling through the holes c c on the sievewith the chaff or trash, where it rolls down by the shaking motion ofthe sieve, the fan blowing the chaif and the shells backward, the corndropping down clean in front of the sieve. l The cobs are rolled cleararound to the obstruction h2, when 2 SALGA() they fall out the door h3,and are in that way removed from the machine. Y

The size of ears of corn is very di'erent; but small ears as well aslarge ears of corn are equally well cleaned of the corn by the machine.The sectional pieces Kl K2 K1 are placed so near to the drum F that eventhe smallest-sized ears will be caught and all corn removed from thecob. When, by large-sized ears, the pressure between the two cylindersis growing too high, the springs behind the pieces Kl K2 allowr thosesectional pieces to move outside, each for itself, and no corn can becrushed in this way between the teeth.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The corn-Sheller as composed of the drum F, with convex surface andarmed with teeth, the concave sectional shell K1 K2 K10, also armed withteeth and perforated between the teeth, the springs s s, the sieve T T,with the attachment for shaking the same, the fan P, all constructed forthe purpose as speciiied.

JAMES A. CAULDVELL.

Vitnesses.

JOHN OAKLEY, E. E. CLAPP.

